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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23758504">Should You Ever Doubt It</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhereTheMoonShinesBright/pseuds/WhereTheMoonShinesBright'>WhereTheMoonShinesBright</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bathing/Washing, Excessive Use of Floral Atmospheric Embellishment, Flowers, M/M, Marriage, Referenced Azure Moon Endings, Weddings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:14:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,772</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23758504</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhereTheMoonShinesBright/pseuds/WhereTheMoonShinesBright</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"He thought of it, turned it over in his head. The Duscur traditions were not easy for him either, he surmised upon finding a few of the castle knights and his guests already setting up and draping the plain sheet tents. The purpose of it all, his mother had told him at the first wedding he’d been to, was to allow love to be seen open and plain as it was. It required a certain amount of surrender to the will of others, to be fully taken care of by others for a few days. Dedue himself had already over stepped in helping for the first few moments before he was recognized. "</p><p>After years of peace, Dedue and Ashe are finally married. </p><p>But not before partaking in a few of Duscur's traditions about being submitted to the trust, love and goodwill of your friends and family.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Dedue Molinaro</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>46</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Should You Ever Doubt It</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/StardustCocoa/gifts">StardustCocoa</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a fic request from Erin/StardustCocoa who asked for an AsheDue, Duscur styled wedding, featuring the BL cast (and I decided to pepper in a few of the others just for good measure).</p><p>I’ve also listened to the love confession theme from Fire Emblem Awakening almost 30 times in the past day so if this is just cheese, that’s why. I’m sorry.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Normally, these things are based around the two families spending their last days with the couple, before they depart to start their own family,” Dedue had arrived late in the night, worn from the unprompted walk from Castle Fhirdiad to Ashe’s inn. Upon his arrival Ashe had rekindled the fire in his room so they could talk before they retired for the night, and the room smelled of the warmth from the fire, and the food Ashe had brought him, and from the soft floral perfume that had been among the courting gifts he had given Ashe, which weaved itself through the atmosphere as his garlic and tumeric stained fingertips slid through the untied length of Dedue’s hair. He sighed and his throat unstuck itself from the overwhelming feeling of sentiment, “I realized I wouldn’t be able to see you for the next two days, and I…”</p><p>Ashe’s nose pressed to the crown of his head, arms falling loosely around his shoulders from where he was seated behind. “And Ingrid passed on a message about how I was ‘waddling around like a nervous chick’?” The wood on the fire cracked and jumped. “I’m glad you showed up. I wanted to see you before, but I wasn’t sure if you’d be too busy.”</p><p>Dedue wanted to assure that he had never been too busy for Ashe, but that had been proven to be false time and time again. The most he could do was turn in Ashe’s arms and pull him inward, so they were facing each other, lying on their sides. “If you feel that way, I’ll have to start making more time for you.”</p><p>“You always say that,” the pads of Ashe’s fingers landed lightly just underneath Dedue’s eye, and they fluttered close in response. “You look tired, I’ll turn down the bed so we can go to sleep, okay?”</p><p>Dedue let out a thoughtful hum and pulled Ashe a little closer, until he could feel laughter dragging along the side of his jaw. There were a thousand things he wanted to say, as thousand more things that needed saying. He felt Ashe settle down beside him, giddy and content with each slowing breath.</p><p>There would be two days, and then a lifetime to say all the things that needed saying. </p><p> </p><p>——</p><p> </p><p>Ashe woke the morning of the first day. Dedue’s heavy warm weight was nowhere to be found, but that was usual. He didn’t normally stay the night on the days he came to see Ashe, and when he did he was almost always gone before Ashe rose to take care of the morning chores. Sometimes he was even missing because he had risen early to take care of those morning chores. Ashe turned over, just once, and relished the feeling of his daily duties being handled, and the accounts being settled by his visiting siblings. As he sorted the blankets back over him his hand landed on the mass of Dedue’s scarf, and he brought it to his face for just a moment before resigning fully to wakefulness.</p><p>Sorting himself for a normal day, he sealed himself with the scarf around his shoulders, abandoning his apron and work sleeves for the first time in over a year.</p><p>The congruity of the inn had hardly been disturbed in his absence. The night shift host, Erin, provided last minute instruction to his wavering and snickering siblings as he entered the dining room. When he walked towards the kitchen he was almost immediately shoved around to sit at a dining table that had already been seated with Annette, Ingrid and Cyril. </p><p>Some of their friends, those who did not live in Fhirdiad, had arrived at the inn a few days ago, but Ashe hadn’t had more than a spare few moments to spend with them. A few of them would depart to help on Dedue’s side of the preparations later in the morning, but for now they were congregating at the table in front of him, air made light between their jokes and bickering.</p><p>After breakfast Caspar and Cyril were chosen to take him to one of the nearby saunas.</p><p>“Okay,” Caspar said with a level of confidence that was betrayed by how his eyes were flitting over the page for the thousandth time, “I’ve received very specific instructions on what the agenda for today is.”</p><p>“Here, gimme that. Huh, that’s easy enough.” Cyril picked up one of the rough cloths, “You’ll have to tell me if it starts to hurt. I’m good at cleaning, but you can’t hurt tiles or metal.”</p><p>Caspar followed in suit, picking up another and scrubbing down the lengths of Ashe’s forearms until the dead skin had rubbed away, leaving him pink and thoroughly clean.</p><p>“Please, you don’t have to do any of this.” Ashe interrupted after another moment. The pressure felt faint and ticklish against his skin, making him want to squirm so much he could barely stand it. “It’s… incredibly embarrassing.”</p><p>“It’s what the instructions said,” Cyril answered simply. “It’s not so strange.”</p><p>The moments passed as Ashe was scrubbed from his wrists to his shoulders, and from his ankles to his thighs. By the end the effect was soothing, rather than unnerving. </p><p>“Hey, Ashe. I think I get the point of this.” Caspar finally said. His friends had begun again in gentler motions, soothing the sore new skin with warm water. “Well, you’re always following around helping other people out and stuff, right? We became friends because you were trying to keep me from hurting someone else. Well, this is just us doing the same.”</p><p>“Uh, how so,” Ashe asked.</p><p>“Okay, maybe I lost the point a little, but I don’t know that I’ve ever done anything nice for you.”</p><p>“Speak for yourself,” Cyril responded.</p><p>“Anyways, today… tomorrow… er… the day after tomorrow, is supposed to be special. So, it’s okay if even just for today you let us help and do nice things for you instead.”</p><p>“Oh, okay. I see what Caspar’s saying. Yeah, we want you to be happy. Nothing to be embarrassed by.”</p><p>Caspar stepped away, evaluating Ashe’s thoroughly mottled skin and turning to Cyril. “Okay why don’t you get Ashe dried off while I get the smelly stuff.”</p><p>“Smelly stuff?” Ashe couldn’t be too worried, but sometimes with Caspar it could be difficult to place complete faith.</p><p>“It’s good-smelly, don’t worry.”</p><p>Cyril did pat down Ashe’s shoulders, before leaving and returning with a comb to brush through AShe’s water slick hair.</p><p>“Oh, is that part of the instructions too?”</p><p>“Nah, it just needs to be done. Your hair’s smooth, but it’s also like a nest sometimes.”</p><p>Ashe couldn’t deny that he enjoyed the feeling. He let himself, finally, settle into it fully, flustered by his own delight. “Really, you didn’t need to do all of this. Thank you.”</p><p>“Don’t worry about it. The way I figure, you can do all this for me when I get married.” </p><p>Cyril’s voice was calm and focused, like it was a thought he’d already entertained. Maybe something in the near future instead of the distant, “That sounds nice. I’d be happy to.”</p><p>Ashe woke the next morning still smelling the warm amber scented oil from the bath house, clinging to him and wafting the air around him. It felt almost cumbersome. Overly sensuous for going to the kitchen and making sure Linea and Jude weren’t having trouble with the recipes he’d left for them. The blush that followed him after Caspar had yelled “Told ya it was smelly,” did nothing to diffuse the scent.</p><p>Nor did the slightly stunned look Felix and Annette were giving him from the front of the inn as he came down to meet them. </p><p>“Oh, Ashe. You’re the one who smells like that,” Annette, sniffed the air. “Where did you get that, it smells amazing.”</p><p>“It’s certainly something,” Felix followed.</p><p>“So, according to Dedue, right before the wedding the bride has a wedding cloak taken to her husband, and if there are two brides and two grooms then both present a cloak, so I thought it would be good for us to go out and choose those first. Oh and after that I need to practice helping you into your outfit tomorrow. The tailor who made them showed me how to do it yesterday and I need to practice a few parts. And Felix needs to figure out how we’re doing your hair.”</p><p>“I have some ideas.”</p><p>Fhirdiad’s market was equipped for the late spring, lanes being moved and helped along by local carts and mobile sellers, so that even as the market day picked up the streets remained navigable. Ashe soon became grateful for Felix’s reluctant presence, if only because Ashe himself had difficulty denying Annette’s wish to stop and look at any one thing, even if it wasn’t related to what they were meant to be looking for. </p><p>Other than that it was unsuccessful. Well, the cloak hadn’t been. He’d immediately come across a darker blue cloak that had subdued designs trailing along the hem, and styled to reach down to the feet. On Dedue, he figured, it would land just below the knee just like a normal lengthen cloak would. It was a thrilling stroke of luck. </p><p>The brooch had required more thought. As they went from shop to shop, Annette commented on one or the other, and there were many to choose from. There were so many designs woven out of simple metal, and others shaped like animals, flowers, and dotted with precious stones or jewels. They were all either too gaudy or too plain.</p><p>The right one did finally appear. It was a simple diamond shape, and the settings were molded as vines, but the most catching things were it’s settings; Four small jade stones set in each corner, and Ashe, almost as if reciting something from memory, knew they were the same shade of green as Dedue’s eyes. </p><p>“How much would it be for that one?” He’d said, not thinking that it was the first thing in the shop he’d set his eyes on.</p><p>He paid the price in full, not even noticing the wide eyed amusement of his friends until he was outside the shop holding its velvet box close to his chest.</p><p>“You didn’t even barter for it,” Annette blurted when they exited the store.</p><p>“I, oh, it’s…”</p><p>“It’s bad luck to barter for presents, isn’t it?” Felix supplied where Ashe wasn’t sure how to.</p><p>“That’s right.”</p><p>There was an amused sigh and shake of both of their heads, and Ashe noted that for having such distinct personalities they did, at times, operate in tandem. </p><p>“I know it seems silly, but I don’t want to do anything that could ruin tomorrow. Anything at all.” </p><p>——</p><p>When Dedue arrived for the first morning of preparations he was far from the first person to arrive, and yet there was a moment where he walked around unrecognized, pleasantly talking and helping those around him, not small but smaller without the added bulk of his armor. </p><p>Ashe’s room had an armoire which contained several sets of civilian clothes for when Dedue visited and had time to stay for more than a few hours. Over the past few years, the room had accumulated more personal belongings that Dedue had owned since his childhood. The number had only risen during the time Dedue had been courting Ashe towards a marriage proposal, and Ashe had mistaken the sweet crumbly confections and intricately woven scarves and blankets as gifts he was failing to reciprocate. </p><p>It was… foolish. Foolish and sweet. Dedue had grown up watching the young lovers in his village exchange what things they could offer. It was… meant to show that their families had approved of their relationship, and that one would be able to provide for the other. He hadn’t realized those same gestures would be confusing to Ashe. When he had realized his intentions weren’t coming across, he had jumped quickly to the proposal, and all that day Ashe had apologized through a glowing smile for not understanding.</p><p>He thought of it, turned it over in his head. The Duscur traditions were not easy for him either, he surmised upon finding a few of the castle knights and his guests already setting up and draping the plain sheet tents. The purpose of it all, his mother had told him at the first wedding he’d been to, was to allow love to be seen open and plain as it was. It required a certain amount of surrender to the will of others, to be fully taken care of by others for a few days. Dedue himself had already over stepped in helping for the first few moments before he was recognized. </p><p>He was greeted by several people of both the kingdom and of Dusur as he approached, most notably Onna, who had been one of the healers to help him during the year he’d been left indisposed. She would be making her way to the inn in a few hours to help Mercedes make the honeyed breads and pastries that accompanied these special occasions.</p><p>It wasn’t long before someone else was pushing him to the side to be fitted for his wedding clothes, layered tunics, bleached to light colors but embroidered and woven at the hems with enthusiastic blues and greens, patterned subtly into lines and leaves; Belted at the waist with a similarly adorned sash in a lavender color. He hadn’t chosen the clothes, but he knew that Ashe’s would be a near match to his, and that was enough to turn the discomfort of being dressed and measured into a light flutter. </p><p>By the time he’d been sat down, the preparations were in full force, and all the expected help had arrived. Mercedes had been set down for one of the usual tasks, stringing together various lengthen garlands from baskets of fresh flowers. The rest of the castle’s inhabitants had come in, Sylvain and Dimitri awkwardly stepping around one another being instructed in a dance neither of them knew, Felix and Ingrid carrying in tables and needed furniture as instructed. Annette had also arrived and was chattering along amicably with the tailor who, between the two, spoke the Kingdom language the best. </p><p>For all accounts, the flowers were the one thing he was allowed to assist with, and for a while he and Mercedes chatted about the cooking, about he and Ashe’s awkward courting, about Onna, and about the procession of the next tow days. </p><p>“As much as I like dancing with His Majesty, I think he’s going to break the bones in either my hand or foot if I keep practicing with him. What do you say you and me give it a try, huh, Mercedes?”  Sylvain broke into their conversation, an apologetic Dimitri following a pace and a half behind. “Actually, if you could check my hand first, that’d be great.”</p><p>“I truly am sorry, Sylvain.”</p><p>Mercedes looked up and between the two of them, starting with a sound. “I supposed if you don’t need me too long.”</p><p>Sylvain helped Mercedes to her feet, and Dimitri sighed and sat in her place, accepting instruction on how to continue the garland she had been in the middle of threading. He didn’t break the needle throughout the instruction, even as he laughed, even as he thread a new needle and began a new section.</p><p>“You seem relaxed,” Dedue commented.</p><p>“I suppose I am. Even when you told me you were engaged I had trouble believing you would submit yourself to anything so enjoyable as a wedding.”</p><p>“I admit I’m… nervous.” There was a topic that needed to be breached, and Dedue knew he had long passed the date he should have introduced it. “I would like to resign from my position.”</p><p>The needle snapped in Dimitri’s surprise, though he barely seemed to register it. “Dedue, that’s…” a smile nearly split his face, “That’s absolutely wonderful.”</p><p>It was Dedue’s turn to act in shock. Or rather he had been frozen in inaction, unsure of how to process the reaction he’s been given. </p><p>“Oh please, don’t take that the wrong way. You’ve never enjoyed fighting, and I don’t need so much attention that I need both you and Felix hovering about me everyday.”</p><p>“Felix isn’t always in Fhirdiad, your Majesty.”</p><p>“You can’t start arguing against your own resignation now.”</p><p>“I simply worry.”</p><p>“Dedue, you said you dreamed of the day we could call each other ‘friend’. That day is approaching now.” Dimitri finally realized his needle had broken, and pulled another from the cushion between them, threading it and then starting a new garland with the flowers he hadn’t destroyed from the last. “I want you to take your life for your own. I would never push you away, but I have no choice but to feel happy for you moving forward.”</p><p>Dedue abandoned his own work for a moment, setting it off to the side. “I had… thought this would be all I’d ever have.”</p><p>“If I might be so bold to say,” Dimitri pointed his gaze out past them, over to where Sylvain and Mercedes were trying to convince Felix and Ingrid to join their dance lesson, to where the castle knights were carrying around things and engaging in small talk with the Duscur guests, where Annette was arranging colorful blankets and baskets filled with soft colored purple flowers and springy braided honey breads, “I think you’ve gained quite a bit these past few years.</p><p>“I think you might be right,” Dedue flushed heavily with the words, “my friend.”</p><p>The next day was easier, with a smaller crowd of people, his turn to be washed and anointed. His turn to choose a cloak and brooch to be presented to his betrothed in the hour before their joining. </p><p>Every hour and every meal brought him closer to the next day. Every laugh reminded him that the happiest of his days still lingered in the future.</p><p>——</p><p>Ashe was woken by his giggling siblings arriving at his room early in the morning, hastily chiding him and shoveling food towards his mouth, puddled around him in cloud of deep needed affection. They curled into him afterwards, speaking in excited whispers about how their own weddings had gone. Jude had been married to a woman at the border of the alliance territory the previous summer, and Linea had been wedded for years now to one of the other bishops in her parish. Ashe was the last one to be seen off. </p><p>He had to wrestle one and the other down so they let him help them into their vestments, and brush and braid their hair. After it was done he conceded to being blindfolded and led away </p><p>His eyes were finally unveiled when he was sat in front of a vanity, in a tent that, by the sounds of it was well out of the city. The birds chirped gently outside, the rising sun barely filtering in through the thin makeshift tent walls. He could tell, as his eyes adjusted that they’d been hastily erected out of linen sheets, a soft contrast to the heavy canvas they’d spent the war in. He turned in his stool a little bit, breath catching before Mercedes guided him back to look at the mirror. </p><p>The room behind him, the vanity in front of him, had all been laced and filled with pots and singular stems of white lilies. His chest felt tight with the need to gently caress the ones around the mirror in front of him. “White lilies represent the beauty and purity of the goddesses love.” Mercedes shrugged, she knew Ashe knew, “A few of us suggested it might be a good idea to fill one of the tents with them. Dedue wasn’t sure how to incorporate it in. Here,” Mercedes pulled the one Ashe’s eyes had been fixated on and tucked it gently behind his ear. “Annette and Felix will be here in a moment to help you get ready, but if you wanted to recite a prayer to the goddess before the ceremony, I thought I could facilitate for you. </p><p>“That would be,” Ashe nodded in lieu of finishing his sentence. </p><p>Mercedes gestured, and Ashe turned in his seat. She clasped his hands, headed tilted down in a gesture that he followed.</p><p>“Dear Goddess, we ask that you smile brightly upon this union, that whatever peace exists in your kingdom in the firmament is found for those who partake and witness their bond, that we all see the beauty created in sympathetic and loving connection, for love, beyond all other things, is the perfect imminence with which we were created. </p><p>“That the two, being joined today, live together in perfect completion and perfect peace, until the day which that is no longer possible. That if it is still their wish when they reach your Kingdom, they will meet once again, and live in the light of love, always.” Mercedes was stroking his cheek, “Oh, Ashe, don’t cry.” </p><p>Ashe let his free hand reach up, mopping at his eyes and cheeks with the sleeve of his shirt, “Thank you, Mercedes.” </p><p>By the time Annette and Felix arrived he’d calmed and rekindled the shuddering happiness four or five times. It was easier this time to let Felix comb his hair into the braided crown that looped around the natural fall of his hair, and to let Annette weave the thread of flower shaped glass beads through it. To let them wrap the complicated pattern that kept the sash at his waist in place, and finally to secure a teal cloak his shoulders, something that he had not seen before. His finger slid along the gilded wings of the Duscur eagle. </p><p>“Are you going to cry again? If so you better let it go and get it over with.”</p><p>“Felix! Sorry, Ashe. Mercedes told us not you tell you that she told us.”</p><p>“No, it’s alright. I’m not embarrassed. Really.”</p><p>Felix gave a small cat like smile at that answer. “Good. There’s no use in crying for someone who’s still out there waiting for you. Now, turn back around.” </p><p>Ashe caught the briefest glimpse of himself, colorfully adorned in the room of white flowers for just a moment before the blindfold was brought back up to his eyes. An anxious moment of silence filled that bright space as Annette and Felix exited the tent, followed by his gasping siblings stumbling in and pulling him forward by the hand.</p><p>An exultant cheer rang from voices familiar and unfamiliar as he was pulled past the flaps of another tent that felt immediately less stifled than the first, despite the increase of its inhabitants. He caught the corner of a laugh from nearby as a gloved hand brought his to clasp another, unmistakably learned from years meaningful guidance and gentle nothings. They stopped finally, and the air settled into a breathless silence before music filled the air, dizzyingly joyful and unfamiliar to Ashe’s ears. Ashe laughed when he felt Dedue’s hands travel up his arm, grasping his face just as Ashe reached for the familiar shape of Dedue’s warm cheeks and wide shoulders, feeling the familiar tell of a smile and laugh that he couldn’t hear over the sound.</p><p>Their ministrations are stopped and their hands brought properly back to one another by an interfering force. He’s nervous, not knowing from looking at Dedue’s own face, whether or not he should stopper his own smile and be more serious. He hopes, sincerely, that Dedue feels the same regardless of whatever his expression is.</p><p>“May those honored with the task step forward with their tokens of affirmation,” another voice speaks next in words Ashe doesn’t understand, but he can tell it’s a repetition of the statement.</p><p>Ashe felt feathery things draped across his shoulders, and top of his head, tickling his brow and neck with their soft warmth. He could tell by the sweet scent and gentle warmth what they were. There’s a silent eternity as the tokens are layered on top of him, until they change the atmosphere with their presence. </p><p>There must have been a line, a procession. One meant to give Dedue approval (Ashe recognizes the earthy scent of the garlands he had strung together yesterday, and underneath that the perfume he’d left on the marriage cloak and brooch he’d chosen for Dedue), and the other one to appraise Ashe. Within his palms, Dedue’s hands were shaking… or maybe Ashe’s own hands were shaking. Every nerve melted where they met, and although they have often been separated for longer than just two days, Ashe had never longed to see Dedue’s face more. </p><p>“Have all tokens been presented?”</p><p>There was a noise to the affirmative, and a dull pressure at the back of his head before the blindfold was removed once more.</p><p>Dedue was presented to him all at once, hair worn long and braided to the side, wound through with delicate purple flowers; Sea-glass eyes reflecting back every tender, excited feeling Ashe knew. His head and shoulders were so heavy with flowers Ashe didn’t know where to put his hands, and instead he let his hands delve underneath the flowers to skirt the fabric of Dedue’s wedding cloak, stopping when his finger skimmed the grooves jade brooch. </p><p>Dedue’s hands settled at Ashe’s elbows, pulling him close, until the multi colored garlands around their necks began to tangle. </p><p>One of the officiants spoke to let them know their marriage has been approved, recognized, that Dedue was now Ashe’s husband, that Ashe was now his. Ashe pulled Dedue to meet him before the words were finished being spoken. </p><p>———</p><p> </p><p>Ashe lounged next to Dedue on one of the colorful blankets set within the tent. It had taken a bit of coaxing, as Ashe watched his siblings begin toting around food had put him back to that instinctive need to help. It had taken some amount of self control to settle himself down as well.</p><p>“So this is how it’s normally done?”</p><p>Dedue shook his head. They were normally more restrained in public, less affectionate than they felt like being. But, it was easy just this once to let it be as it was in honesty. Ashe was tucked into his side, occasionally pressing pieces of the honey braid into Dedue’s mouth, and stealing pieces of fruit from Dedue’s hand for himself. Dedue would seek his retribution by pressing kisses into his forehead and cheeks until the kisses had broken off into laughter.</p><p>“Normally this is done in a building or someone’s house, and usually with couches and tables instead of picnic blankets. I was convinced this would be charming.” He left unnoted that things were still not so good in Fhirdiad that he would risk the repercussions of renting one of the buildings at, even if they had gotten progressively better. They were good enough at least that he hadn’t feared any sort of interruption for where they were, just out of the city. “There’s also usually dancing. No one was able to learn it, but some of my guests might decide to try later.”</p><p>“I can’t say I’m upset about not dancing.”</p><p>“I had been wondering… When we come back from our…” he can’t bring himself to conceptualize the idea of a honeymoon, even saying it out loud. “Would you be opposed to another set of hands helping you at the inn?“</p><p>“Uh, it depends I suppose. If you came across someone who needs a job, I’m sure I could find something for them to do.”</p><p>“I meant…” the words died in uncertainty, but meeting Ashe’s eyes he knew his intentions had been made clear.</p><p>Ashe looked incredulous for a moment, but not upset. He curled in towards Dedue like a pleased cat.“You? You want to stay with me?”</p><p>“We’re…” the word ‘together’ melted into a sweeter, smiling truth on his tongue, “married, Ashe.”</p><p>“I… had always hoped I could create something that was close enough to a home for… for myself of course, but for you as well. If you want it to be your home, there’s nothing in all the world that would make me happier.”</p><p>And with the laughter, the chattering chorus of the people around them, with him and Ashe tucked together— it was never the way it should have been, but it was becoming something passable. He took Ashe’s hands and pressed them to his heart, palms splaying against tens of different flowers. </p><p>“I have found my home here with you. May I never give you any reason to doubt.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I’m taking fic requests on my twitter! I got a little carried away with this one but I loved the parameters so much, and I spent like 5 hours synthesizing a fantasy wedding culture based off of… too many google searches and wedding planning articles… and a lot of daydreaming.</p><p>I spent too much time on this, and I don’t regret a single minute of it. </p><p>Most of the practices in here are 100% artifice. Some of the things which have been extracted from real practices are the base marriage practices (the two days of celebration in preparation of the wedding, the sauna, and courting gestures) which are inspired by modernized traditional Moroccan weddings (or at least as they were described in their wedding planning articles). The other notably inspired wedding practice is Mercedes’ prayer, which is modified from one of the psalms (I don’t remember which one I used, I’m sorry) used in catholic weddings. </p><p>Descriptions for the wedding clothes are based off of Bulgarian folk costumes (partly inspired by the Valentine’s Day costumes for FE9/10 in Fire Emblem Heroes). The foods mentioned are based off of halva and pierniczki, although halva is not a particularly luxurious food and pierniczki is essentially gingerbread if it were made with honey and 10x as dry.</p><p>If you want updates on my other writing or if you want to submit your own request you can find me @chinupking on twitter.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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